Full Moon

Dreaming of grandmother

BookPage review by Heidi Henneman

To Grandmother's house we go. But over the river and through the woods? Not this time. When the young boy in Brian Wilcox and Lawrence David's Full Moon dreams of visiting his grandmother in a faraway place, his adventure is much more exotically inspired than the age-old song. Here, lions and elephants and giraffes (Oh my!) are his companions on the quest, and mountains, rockets and roller coasters are the obstacles.

Wilcox, a first-time author and illustrator who grew up traveling through the awe-inspiring lands of the Far East, Middle East and Africa, joins forces with seasoned author and New York City native Lawrence David to create this fantastic flight of fancy.

The dream-time adventure follows a young boy whose birthday present, a snow globe, transports him into a magical world where the full moon is his guide and nothing is impossible. His journey takes him beyond the mountains, prairies and rivers to nighttime New York City the city that never sleeps where his grandmother lives. From the magnificent towers of Saint Patrick's Cathedral to the crowning spire of the Chrysler building through lively Central Park Zoo and across the building tops where water towers turn into rocket ships, our hero searches for his grandma, finally finding her atop the majestic Statue of Liberty. Wilcox's enchanting illustrations of the New York City skyline combine elements of his worldly travels and a reverence for the city. From rhinos in Central Park to spaceships on roller coasters to ballerinas and cellists floating amidst the skyscrapers, Wilcox taps into a vast array of ingenious images. And the drawings themselves, done in black and white, reflect what we sometimes see under a full moon varying shades of gray and shapes that could become anything we want them to be, depending on where our imaginations lead us.

This Full Moon leads us to a heartfelt message: the realization that even when those we love are far away, they are close to our hearts.

Heidi Henneman is a freelance writer in The City That Never Sleeps. Her grandmothers live over several rivers, past a couple of mountains and across a few prairies, but they always remain close to her heart.